Bitmap fonts in Mac OS X
How might a guy go about converting .FON files from Windows to something usable in OS X? I've grown attached to a few fonts for programming and command-line stuff, the SysMono font in particular (actually from OS/2).
Alternately, are there any decent tools available for creating this sort of low-tech font in OS X?
Alternately-alternately, anyone know of a good clean monospaced font that looks a lot like this?
I really don't like the ultra-small and/or thin programming fonts (e.g. Proggy Clean).
Alternately, are there any decent tools available for creating this sort of low-tech font in OS X?
Alternately-alternately, anyone know of a good clean monospaced font that looks a lot like this?
I really don't like the ultra-small and/or thin programming fonts (e.g. Proggy Clean).
Comments
How might a guy go about converting .FON files from Windows to something usable in OS X? I've grown attached to a few fonts for programming and command-line stuff, the SysMono font in particular (actually from OS/2).
Alternately, are there any decent tools available for creating this sort of low-tech font in OS X?
Alternately-alternately, anyone know of a good clean monospaced font that looks a lot like this?
...
The takeaway message is that you don't need a Windows font for your programming chores. If you would like a bitmap font, you should be able to find VT100 (aka VT100.suit) by searching your Mac shareware site. However, most people use Monaco for their onscreen monospace needs.
Here's a wacky idea... have you *tried* putting the .fon file into /Library/Fonts on your Mac and seeing if it works? I have this nagging feeling it might... ...and, no. Just tried. OTOH, I see a number of free fonts where the designer has been sent TrueType versions of their .fon files, and they've mad them available. So obviously there are ways to convert .fon to TrueType, and the Mac can use those just fine.
While searching for the above, found this: http://www.tobias-jung.de/seekingprofont/
I might have to try it out instead of Monaco, and see how it works... looks nice.
Conversion links:
http://guides.macrumors.com/Mac_Font_Basics_and_Sources
http://cg.scs.carleton.ca/~luc/maceditors.html
What, no one else like Copperplate Gothic for the Terminal? (joke)
I use Sabbath Black exclusively.
How might a guy go about converting .FON files from Windows to something usable in OS X? I've grown attached to a few fonts for programming and command-line stuff, the SysMono font in particular (actually from OS/2).
Alternately, are there any decent tools available for creating this sort of low-tech font in OS X?
If you insist of using that particular Windows font, try converting it to a Mac font with FontLab Studio. It gives good results, as I use it all the time when I encounter this problem. Even for DTP/graphics stuff, and it's pixel-precise.
FontLab is actually meant for creating fonts, so you might give that a try as well.
If you insist of using that particular Windows font, try converting it to a Mac font with FontLab Studio. It gives good results, as I use it all the time when I encounter this problem. Even for DTP/graphics stuff, and it's pixel-precise.
FontLab is actually meant for creating fonts, so you might give that a try as well.
I actually tried out BitFonter from the same folks. It worked great, but in the trial version it garbles 50% of the output characters; the full version is US $500, a bit steep for my uses.
I settled this over the weekend with FontForge, an open source tool (requires X11). Not as polished as FontLab, but free, and it converted .FON to .dfont properly.
Maybe not the prettiest font in the world, but I'm attached to it, and it manages to stay readable through bleary-eyed 14-20 hour sessions at the terminal.
On the anti-aliased side, Microsoft's
Thanks for your comments everyone.
For the search engines: Convert Windows .FON to Mac .dfont with FontForge.